Quote from: Sarah B on February 24, 2024, 11:11:42 PMHi Brooke and Rachael
If there was cure for being gender dysphoric, the wisdom and knowledge of others in your situations, would have posted a solution for everyone to read and see a long time ago.
....
So what I'm trying to say is this, you have to look after number one and that is you. If you are not around and you are not well. Then you will not be able to help anyone else.
Please look after yourselves and if your 'dysphoria' gets worse please seek help.
Love and Hugs to both of you
Sarah B
@REM.1126
@Brooke Renee
My GD does get worse, and better. It waxes and wanes, or rises and falls. If it rises and won't stop rising, I'll be forced to take action. But, so far I have been able to ride out the rough times(a couple of times just barely, but I have decided suicide is not an option).
If I have to transition to have a decent life, I will. If I don't HAVE to, I won't.
I am far from perfect. I have many flaws, but being selfish isn't something I tend towards. Pride? Maybe. I pride myself on being able to tolerate difficulties that others might bail on. And, maybe at some times it results in my getting in over my head a bit. But, not too much yet, because I am still here.
I have come up with a LOT of coping strategies. I think most of them
Are familiar to many of us. I am not saying I cracked any new code. And, they don't always work.
They basically boil down to "distractions". There is staying so busy with work that I don't have time to think about myself. That works until I exhaust myself. There are learning new skills. At this point, I am sort of a Jill of all trades. There are hobbies: guitar, hunting (deer, quail, duck, dove, turkey, including: archery, marksmanship, shooting clays), fishing, SCUBA and flying.
There is dressing en femme. That generally works, particularly if I can see "myself" in the mirror. Doing that has made me cry a few times, because "there... I see myself" but I know I can't allow it to last; but I know I could if I would.
And, that leads me to the most effective strategy yet: feeling some control over my life by reminding myself that this is a choice, and I have the option to transition if I decide to do so. I am not trapped. I choose to stay here.
If my health were to close off transition as an option, I think that would upset me a great deal.